Contact mechanism for electric clocks



May 27, 1930. w. E. PORTER CONTACT MECHANISM FOR ELECTRIC CLOCKS Filed Dec. 27, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l May 27, 1930. w. E. PORTER CONTACT MECHANISM FOR ELECTRIC CLOCKS Filed Dec. 27. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 27, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILSON E. PORTER, OF NEW H1 "EN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOB TO THE NEW HAVEN CLOCK 00., OF NEW .AVEN,

CONNEUIICUT, A CORPORATION CONTACT MECHANISM FOR ELECTRIC CLOCKS Application filed December 27, 1926. Serial No. 157,086.

My invention relates to swim roved electric clock, the object being to prodhce an electric clock constructed with particular reference to minimizing the wearing efi'ect of making and breaking the electric circuit by which the clock is operated, whereby the life of the mechanism is greatly prolonged without the repair or replacement of its electric contacts.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in an electric clock having certain details of construction and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in rear elevation of the electric elements of an electric clock embodying my invention, the parts bein shown in the positions due to them at the instant the circuit is closed through the coils of the electro-magnet;

Fig. 2 is an edge view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1, save that the magnet has been removed and that the parts are in the positions due to them at the instant of breaking the circuit through the coils of the electro-magnet;

Fig. 4 is a detached perspective view of the rotary contact-wheel, star-wheel, guard-disk, and the arbor upon which they are mounted;

Fig. 5 is a detached plan view showing another form which the contact-wheel may assume; and

Fig. 6 is an edge view thereof.

In the embodiment of my invention herein shown, my improved electric clock is provided with an electro-magnet comprising a pair of coils 10 and a core 11 terminating in polepieces 12 and 13, and mounted in spaced relation to the clock-movement by three pillars 14 projecting rearward from the rear movement-plate 15 thereof and entered at their rear ends by screws 16 passing from rear to front through parts of the said core 11. The said electro-magnet serves to operate a pivotal armature 17 secured by one end to a rock-shaft 18 journaled in the said rear movement-plate 15 and in a brid e 19 attached by screws 20 to the outer en s of two pillars 21 projecting rearwardly from the said plate 15. The front movement-plate 22 IS organized with the rear movement-plate 15 in the usual manner by pillars 23 extendmg between them and spacing them apart.

The said rock-shaft 18 carries near its forward end a lever 24 having a. train-driving arm 25 and a switch-actuating arm 26 and participating in all of the movements of the armature 17. The upper end of the traindrivin arm 25 is forked for the reception of a riving-pin 27 projecting rearwardly into it through a clearance-slot 28 in the rear movement-plate 15 from a segmental pawlcarrier 29 having an arm 30 which rocks loosely upon the main-wheel mounts the main-wheel 32 of the clock-train, as well as a ratchet-wheel 33 which is engaged for the driving of the said by a pawl 34 7 carrier 29 and pressed into engagement with the teeth of the said ratchet-wheel 33 by a pawl-spring 35', the opposite end of which is fixed to thepawl-carrler 29. The ultimate power for driving the main-wheel 32, and hence the time-train (not shown) of the .clock, is supplied by means of a helical spring 36, one end of which is attached to a stud 37 in-the rear movement-plate 15 and the other to a stud-38 in the switch-actuating arm 26 aforesaid.

The upper end of the switch-actuating arm 26 is forked for the reception of a switchoperating pin 39 projecting rearwardly through a clearance-slot 40 in the rear move ment-plate 15 from a toggle-like lever 41 carried by a rock-shaft 42 journaled between the rear and front movement-plates 15 and 22, and is formed with a fork 43 receiving a pin 44 in the adjacent end of a yoke-like lever 45 carried by a rock-shaft 46 also journaled between the two movement-plates 15 and 22. The lower end of the said lever 45 is rovided with two driving-pins 47 havin inc ined flat faces of different inclination ig. 3) alternately co-acting with the camlike outer edges of the arms of a star-wheel 48 mounted upon a shaft 49 located between and journaled in the movement-plates 15 and 22. The said shaft 49 also mounts a contact-wheel 50 provided, as shown, with six equally-spaced conarbor 31, which main-wheel 32 mounted upon one end of the tact-lugs Ill separated by cleat'alice-spaces 5:! longer than the width of a contact.- 53 carried by a \'ielding-arm 54 secured to a. fiber block 5; applied to the rear face of the front movement-plate 2;. The said yielding-arm 54 15 connected by an insulated conductor 56 to one of the two coils condnctor-57. the other terminal of the coils being formed by a wire 58. A helical snapspriiig 59. having one end attached to a. stud (at) extending rearwardly through a slot (31 in the plate 15 and its opposite. end attached to a stud 2 projecting rearwardly through a slot tit, in the said plate, is snapped from one side to the other and vice versa. of a straight line joining the dead-centers of the shafts 42 and -15. \\hereb sharp rotative impulses are 1mparted to the contm-t-wluwl 50.

A tiber guard-disk (i-t bearing against the rear face of the contm-t-wheel 5t) prevents the contact 53 from accidentallyengagingwith the bottom walls of the spaces 59 between the contact-lugs 51.

In explaining the operation of my improved clock. reference may first be had to Figs. 1 and 2. which represent the. parts of the clock in the positions due to them after theeuergy of the driving-spring 36 has substantial- 1y expended itself in driving the clock-train. During this brief interval, the gradual movement of the lever 24 from right to left has rocked the levers 41 and 45 on their centers so as to snappily shift the spring 59 from one side of their dead centers to the other, as shown, from right to left. This has caused the lever 45 to snap from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position .in which it is shown in Fig. 1, whereby the star-wheel 48 and the contact-wheel 50 have been given a onetwelfth turn. and one of the contact-lugs 51 of the wheel 50 has been brought into engagement with the yielding contact 53, resulting in the instantaneous closing of the circuit through the coils 10 of the electro-magnet. 'lhe several parts described now have the po sitions shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The instant the circuit through the magnet is closed. the pole-pieces 12 and 13 thereof attract the armature 17, whereby the twoarmed lever 24 is swung from left to right, with the result of moving all of the parts into the positions shown in Fig. 3, in which the time-train driving-spring 36 is energized. the pawl 34 backed up for another hitch on the ratchet-wheel 33 and the snap-spring 59 snapped from left to right over the deadcenters of the shafts 42 and 4-6 of the two levers 41 and 45, with the efiiect of causing an exceedingly sharp rocking of the yoke-like lever 45, the lower end of which moves from leftto right, so as to effect a second onetwelfth impulse-movement of the star-wheel 48 and contact-wheel 50, thus breaking the circuit and leaving the yielding contact 53 isol(). which are connected by a.

lated. as it. were, between two of the contactlugs'43 of the wheel 50.

it will be seen that the interval of time between the. making and breaking of the. circuit is almost infinitesimal while, on the other hand, the interval of time between the breaking and making of the circuit is measured by the length of time. required by the drivingspring 36 to move the main-wheel 30 through a distance. represented substantially by the distance. between the respective teeth of the ratchet-wheel 33.

For the sake of convenience and clarity, the timetrain of the clock has not been shown other than by the main-wheel 32 and the first pinion ('5 into which it meshes. The timetrain may, of course, be of any approved construction and arrangement.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown a, form of contzu-t-wheel which consists of a cup (35, the flange (36 of which is notched to produce six equidistant contacts 67 which are parallel with the axis of the wheel and project beyond the face. of a. tiber guard-disk 68 for engagement by a contact 53 on aspring-arm 54.

I claim:

1. In a contact-mechanism for electric clocks of the type in which an armature is moved in one direction by a driving-spring and in the opposite direction by an electromagnet, the combination with a rotary eontact-member having a plurality of segregated COlliltLClJ-POllltS, of a yielding contact-member co-acting therewith, and spring-actuated snap-action means for imparting step-by-step rotary impulses to the said rotary contactrnember, whereby the said contact-member is rotated by a series of sharp impulses to bring its segregated contact-points alternately into and out of engagement with the said yielding contact-member.

2. In a contact-mechanism for electric clocks of the type in which an armature is moved in one direction by a driving-spring and in the opposite direction by an electromagnet, the combination with a rotary contact-member having a plurality of segregated contact-points, of a yielding contact-member co-acting therewith, and spring-actuated snap-action means for imparting step-by-step rotary impulses to the said rotary contactmember, the said means including a pair of interconnected pivotal levers and aspring connected to each of the said levers for efiecting the snapping action thereof by the shifting of its position with respect to their deadcenters.

3. In a contact-mechanism for electric clocks of the type in which an armature is moved in one direction by a driving-spring and in the opposite direction by an electromagnet, the combination with a rotary contact-member having a plurality of segregated contact-points, of a yielding contact-member co-acting therewith, a two-armed lever for connection with the armature of an electric clock and moving synchronously therewith, means connecting one of the arms of the said lever with a member of the time-train of the clock, and spring-actuated snap-action means connecting the other arm of the said lever with the said rotary contact-member for imparting quick step-by-step rotary impulses thereto under the control of the said clock.

4. In a contact-mechanism for electric clocks of the type in which an armature is moved in one direction by a driving-spring and in the opposite direction by an electromagnet, the combination with a rotary contact-member having a plurality of segregated contact-points, of a yielding contact-member co-acting therewith, a star-wheel connected to the said rotary contact-member for driving the same and having its arms formed with cam-like outer edges, and a spring-controlled snap-action member engaging the arms of the said star-wheel for imparting rotary stepby-step movement to the said rotary contactmember.

5. In a contact-mechanism for electric clocks of the type in which an armature is moved in one direction by a driving-spring and in the opposite direction by an electro magnet, the combination with a rotary contact-member having a plurality of segregated contact-points, of a yielding contact-membcr co-acting therewith, astar-wheel connected to the said rotary contact-member for driving the same and having its arms formed with cam-like outer edges, and a spring-controlled snap-action lever provided with spaced-apart actuating-fingers alternately co-acting with the cam-faces of the outer edges of the arms of the star-wheel for imparting step-by step rotary-movement to the said rotary contactmember.

6. In a contact-mechanism for electric clocks of the type in which an armature is moved in one direction by a driving-spring and in the opposite direction by an electromagnet, the combination with a rotary con tact-member having a plurality of segregated contact-points, of a yielding contact-member co-acting therewith, a star-wheel connected to the said rotary contact-member for drivin the same and having its arms formed witli cam-like outer edges, and spring-actuated snap-action means for imparting step-bystep movement to the said rotary contactmember, including a pair of interconnected pivotal levers and a spring connected to each of the said levers for effecting their snap ing action by the shifting of its position wit respect to their dead-centers.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

WILSON E. PORTER. 

